Fence



(No Model.)

.W KELLY.

' PEI-NOE. No. 378,793. Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

num

IJVVEJVTOR midi/1.2225] Attorney Nrrhn STATES \VILLlAM KELLY, OF SARANAO, MICHIGAN.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,793, dated February 28, 18E 8.

Application filed April 16, 1587. Serial No. 235.035,

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, YVILLIAM KELLY, of Saranac, in the county of Ionia and State of Michigan, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the let ters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a portion of my improved rail fence. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, showing the rods used in building the fence. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the fence on line 9000, Fig. 2.

This invention relates to improvements in straight rail fences, and its objects are to improve the'constrnction of the same, to render them self-bracing and rigid, and to lessen the amount of material used in making them and consequent cost of same, as compared with the present construction of such fences, all of which objects are obtained by the means illustrated in the drawings, and hereinafter described, and particularly specified in the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A A designate two rails forming the X-braces or supports of the fence in ordinary manner, except that they are crossed near their upper ends and are set at such an angle to each other that a rail, B, can be laid on top between their upper ends and a rail, 0, just below their point of intersection and below rail B, as shown, and yet be a proper distance apart to leave the ordinary space between the rails 13 O. The rails A A and B are tied together by wires a, as shown, and the rail 0 is similarly tied to rails A A, the rails B 0 being thus supported by and bracing two adjoining pairs of rails A A, as shown.

D D designate short pieces on one side of the fence, which incline upward from the ground to points on the rails A, the piecesD standing in parallel planes with the rails B G and at right angles to the planes of rails A A, and

the inclination of pieces D being such that their lower ends enter or rest upon the earth at a point distant from rails A about one-third the length of rails G or B. Y

E E designate pieces similar but standing in opposite directions to pieces D and on opthe obstruction of the rails continuous.

(No model.)

posite sides of rails B O therefrom, connecting with the rails A, opposite the rails A,to which pieces D are connected. The upper ends of pieces D and E are secured to their respective rails A A by wires d e, as shown.

It will be obseryed that pieces D E brace the rails A Aand prevent their lateral move ment or swaying, in addition to the bracing afforded by rails 13 O.

The pairs or bracepieces D E for the pairs of rails A A preferably alternate-that is, for two adjoining pairs of rails A A the inner bracepieces, D E, would be on the same side of the fence and the braces E and D between one of these pairs of rails A A, and the next succeeding would be on the opposite side of the fence, as shown. The object of this is to keep the lower horizontal rails of the fence parallel with and in the same vertical plane as rails 13 and 0 when the lower rails are con nected to the adjoining but oppositely standing pieces D E, as shown.

F F designate horizontal rails corresponding in length to the rails B O, and secured below the same to the opposite brace-pieces, D E, as shown. Any number of rails F F may be employed, as maybe desirable. The adjoining ends of the rails F in adjoining sections of the fence are overlapped or side lapped to make The rails F F are secured,by wires similar to wires (1 e, to their respective pieces D E, and their ends may also be tied by similar wires, if desired.

G designates the bottom rails of the several sections corresponding in length to rails B (J, and lying in the same plane. This rail, however, does not have its ends lying beneath the ends of rails B O or F F, but is shifted lengthwise and has its ends secured by wires 7 to the lower ends of adjoining pieces E E or D D of the fence-sections. As the adjoining pieces D or E are on opposite sides of the line of fence, in order to keep the rails G vertically beneath the other horizontal rails, the adjoining ends of rails G, where they are secured to the same brace-piece, are side-lapped in proper manner to preserve the symmetrical appearance of the fence, being tied together and to the side pieces by wires 5;, as shown.

In building the fence. where only one man is employed, I propose using the standards or rods H, (shown in Fig. 2,) which are provided with one or more adjustable collars. In using these rods, after an X-brace has been formed and one end of top rail, B, secured thereto, as described, the brace is raised to a proper position and the free end of the rail supported by a similar X-brace. The rods H are then hung by their hooked upper ends on rail B, and the collars set at proper points to support one end of any rail while the operator is fastening its other end in position.

When it is desired to fix the fence permanently in place, I employ the anchoring device shown in Fig. 3. This consists of disks or blocks J,of any convenient form and mate rial,tied by wiresj to the lower ends of the rails A A of the X-braces and buried or sunk in the ground, so that the fence is prevented from being lifted vertically, as is evident, and enabled to withstand severe wind storms. In practice I propose employing stones for the anchor-blocks J of the fence.

Having described my invention, I claim- In a rail fence, the combination, with the pairs of X-bra'ces standing at right angles to the line of fence, and their upper uniting-rails, B and 0, supported thereby, of the inclined short pieces D,secured to one leg of each brace below its point of intersection, and the oppositely-inclined pieces E, similarly secured to the remaining leg of each brace, both pieces D and E standing in the line of the fence, and the rails F and G secured to the pieces D and E and supported solely by said pieces below the points of intersection of the braces, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- WILLIAM KELLY.

WVitneSses:

A. F. N oYEs, DENNIs DONOVAN. 

